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Date: 4/27/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Vietnam War Veterans Day passed without a ceremony, but it didn’t pass without comment.
Retired town Veterans Agent James Berrelli took to the microphone at the April 19 meeting of the Town Council to chastise town officials for omitting the observance.
“It felt like we got spit in the face when there was no celebration for Vietnam veterans,” said Berrelli, who himself is a veteran of that war. “A lot of us are in our 70s and 80s, and we fought for our country.”
He said those who served in Vietnam were disrespected and made to feel unwelcome when they returned from the conflict, and seeing West Springfield skip this year’s ceremony brought back those emotions.
Birnie Avenue resident Mitch Salamon, who also identified himself as a Vietnam veteran, agreed with Berrelli.
“Everybody’s visibly upset, and I don’t blame them, because I’m the same way, too,” Salamon said. “If there are acknowledgements or recognitions that we all deserve, I don’t like to see it taken away.”
Councilors said this was the first they had heard of the problem, and promised to investigate how the oversight occurred.
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is proclaimed annually on March 29. The observance was declared by President Barack Obama in 2012 and enshrined in law by President Donald Trump in 2017. March 29 was the date in 1973 when the final U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam.
Berrelli went on to say that he feels veterans are not receiving adequate attention in West Springfield. He said the current veterans agent is on leave, and the town’s Veterans Advisory Board members “don’t do anything.” He suggested that the advisory board be merged with the nonprofit Veterans Council that he had founded in the early 2000s.
In response to a request for comments from Reminder Publishing, Reichelt offered “our sincerest apologies” for the town not hosting a Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony this year.
“The lack of an event was due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, but the town is committed to ensuring that there is a dedicated event for this important commemorative day moving forward, so that the significant contributions and sacrifices of Vietnam veterans are appropriately recognized,” the mayor said.
He confirmed that the town’s veterans agent is on leave, but would not elaborate on the reason for the absence. He added, “we have made arrangements to ensure that our veterans are receiving all the benefits and services to which they are entitled.”
Dialing the telephone number listed on the West Springfield town website for Veterans Agent Nick Smith, 263-3019, resulted in the call being forwarded to the veterans office in the city of Chicopee.
Berrelli also criticized the town for not planning a Memorial Day parade. He said when he was veterans agent, a procession would visit “every single cemetery” in town, laying wreaths in honor of the servicemembers buried there.
“You’ve got 86 that were killed in World War II, you’ve got three from Korea, six from Vietnam, six from the Revolutionary War, and 21 from the Civil War,” Berrelli said. “Those [are] all people getting disrespected, because we used to put wreaths over there on those monuments.”
Reichelt also said the town no longer runs a parade on Memorial Day, but said the change had been made several years ago. The town does host a remembrance ceremony, he said.
“We have received very positive feedback about the ceremony format for Memorial Day, given the somber nature of the holiday,” Reichelt said. “Though the Memorial Day ceremony will not include a parade, the town will continue to hold a Veterans Day parade in recognition and celebration of all those who served our country, and the planning process is already underway for that event.”
Memorial Day will be observed May 30 this year, with a ceremony at 11 a.m. in Town Hall, 26 Central St., West Springfield. Veterans Day is Nov. 11.